Dana Duke on LinkedIn: Monday, August 12, 2024 Powered by the Holy Spirit “Don’t be drunk with… (2024)

https://lnkd.in/eaJg3zf5

August 14, 2024 FAULT FINDERS VS. HEALERS "And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”— John 9:2WHEN AN ACCIDENT occurs, two types of emergency vehicles arrive on the scene. The first to arrive are usually the police. They try to determine who is at fault and, if necessary, give a citation to the guilty party. The paramedics arrive next. They really have no concern as to who is at fault—they just want to alleviate the pain and suffering.The disciples passed by a man born blind. Like policemen, they wanted to immediately assess blame for the casualty. Jesus declared that neither the parents nor this man was at fault, but that the works of God might be made manifest in him when Jesus healed him.GOD HAS CALLED US TO BE PARAMEDICS RATHER THAN POLICEMEN. How do you look at human tragedy? Do you come like a policeman, or like a paramedic? Jesus said that God did not send Him into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.Often a person’s life is shattered because they are reaping the consequences of their own rebellion against God. Do you shake your finger in their face and say: “If you had not done this or that, you wouldn’t be in this situation”? Do you have your codebook out, citing them for their violation of the law? Or do you come as a paramedic seeking to bind up their wounds?Ours is not the responsibility of finding the reason for the suffering, but to seek to heal the damage that has been done, even as Jesus did.Father, may we be Your witnesses, doing Your work in this hurting world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Give Thanks Daily 'There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.'- Luke 17:18LUKE 17:11-18Relatively few people who receive the goodness of the Lord return to give Him thanks for what He has done. That does not keep the Lord from doing what is right for us. He healed all ten of these lepers according to their request - not just the one who was thankful. However, there was only one out of the ten that was made 'whole.'The Lord desires that we prosper in spirit, soul, and body. He wants us to be whole - not just healed. Part of the reason God meets our physical needs is to prove to us His willingness and ability to meet our emotional and spiritual needs. The Lord is concerned about our temporal needs (Mt. 6:30), but He is even more concerned about our eternal needs. All of these lepers needed physical healing and the Lord was moved with compassion and met their need.He was also desiring to meet their spiritual needs, but only one out of the ten came back for that.Being unthankful is always a sign that self is exalting itself above God. A selfless person can be content with very little. A self-centered person cannot be satisfied. Thankfulness is a sign of humility and cultivating a life of thankfulness will help keep 'self' in its proper place.Thankfulness to the Lord for what He is and what He has done is a very important part of the Christian life. One of the many benefits of thanksgiving and praise is that they keep us from being 'self' oriented.Giving thanks is a totally unselfish action and is a key to relationship with the Father that makes us 'whole' and not just 'healed.'

https://odb.org/2024/08/14

Wednesday, August 14 God’s New Temple "Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God."Ephesians 2:19Only Jews were allowed on the grounds of the temple itself (Acts 21:26-28), but Herod’s Temple (the Jerusalem temple in Jesus’ and the apostles’ day) had an outer courtyard where Gentiles could gather (where the money changers and merchants set up shop—John 2:14-17).Recommended Reading:1 Peter 2:4-10The apostles Paul and Peter both wrote of a new temple—a spiritual edifice made up of Jews and Gentiles alike who were united into one Body through faith in Christ. God’s purpose in Christ was to abolish the law which was the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile “so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace” (Ephesians 2:15). “Peace” was preached to those who were far off (Gentiles) and those who were near (Jews), granting both “access by one Spirit to the Father” (verses 17-18). The whole building is growing into a “holy temple in the Lord” (verses 21-22).By the grace of God, there is no longer a “distinction between Jew and Greek [Gentile]”—there is one Lord over all (Romans 10:12; Galatians 3:28). If you are in Christ, you are a living stone in His new temple.We are one in Christ; let us be friends with one another.Charles Spurgeon

A Peaceful Heart READ —Philippians 4:4-7 Sometimes circ*mstances trigger our anxiety, but other times it’s an inner turmoil we wrestle. Regardless of the source, our angst is no match for God’s peace, “which surpasses all compre-hension” (Phil. 4:7). When you’re feeling anxious, remember ...God made you on purpose. Our Father chose the time and place we each would be born (Acts 17:26), and He gave us our personality, talents, and spiritual gifts. So consider what God has chosen specifically for you and give thanks. God has a plan for your life. Scripture promises that embracing the Father’s specific path for your life will bring satisfaction and peace (Proverbs 3:5-6). God adopts believers into His family. Once you belong to Him, nothing can change the fact that you are His (John 10:28).God forgives when you confess. Some feelings of inner turmoil come from guilt or shame over wrongdoing. But when you confess your sin and change direction, God forgives you. Then your conscience can become clear (1 John 1:9). Peace is within reach when you remember your identity in Christ. Next time you’re feeling anxious, pause for moment to pray and medi-tate over these four truths. Taking your eyes off yourself and fixing them on Jesus should help, even if it’s necessary to repeat the process periodically.Are you living with the strength, wisdom, and joy the Lord wants to give?

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 Gone Forever. “Yes, what joy for those whose record the LORD has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty!” —Psalm 32:2When we come to the subject of sin, something that we unfortunately are all familiar with, we have two ways to approach it. We can confess it for what it is, turn from it, and know the happiness of being forgiven. Or, we can conceal and hide it and know the misery of ultimately being found out and reaping what we’ve sowed.In the Book of Deuteronomy, God posed a challenge. He said, “Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live!” (30:19 NLT).God was saying, “You can walk with Me, or you can walk away from Me. You can live, or you can die.”It’s amazing that some people consciously would choose death. But that is essentially what we do when we choose to go against God and His Word.Sin is attractive. The devil knows how to present it so that it will have a certain appeal. Sin is a lot like candy-coated strychnine. It’s sweet on the outside until you bite into it. Because of the short-term pleasure that sin offers, many people don’t think about the long-term repercussions.Yet the Bible warns, “You may be sure that your sin will find you out” (Numbers 32:23 NLT). Sometimes this happens immediately. And sometimes it happens after a period of time.A few years ago, I saw a news story about someone who wanted to steal gasoline from a motor home. The thief stuck his hose in the tank and began the syphoning process. But he had put the hose into the sewage tank instead of the gas tank. The owner of the motor home found him curled up outside, vomiting.His sin found him out.King David is rightfully known as one of the greatest saints in Scripture, identified uniquely as the “man after [God’s] own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14 NLT). But it is also true that David is known as one the greatest sinners in Scripture.On the one hand, we remember him for his heroic exploits and his tender heart toward God and others. But on the other hand, we remember him for his sins of adultery and murder and his attempt to cover them up.Ultimately, the prophet Nathan confronted David about his sin and told him, “From this time on, your family will live by the sword because you have despised me by taking Uriah’s wife to be your own” (2 Samuel 12:10 NLT).But thank God for second chances, because this was during the time that David wrote Psalm 32, which begins, “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight!” (verse 1 NLT).David had tried in his own ability to cover his sins but with no success. But when God covers our sins, they’re gone forever. We can’t cover them, but God can. We can’t get rid of them, but God can.God not only covers our sins; He cleanses them.

TODAY'S SCRIPTURE For you are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.Deuteronomy 7:6TODAY'S TRUTH The country of Israel and the Jewish people are holy, chosen, and treasured above all other nations on earth.Israel’s story began in Genesis 12 when God told Abraham to leave his father’s house and to set out for an unknown land. He vowed to make Abraham a great nation. He promised to bless anyone who blessed him and curse anyone who cursed him. That word still stands today.Israel was created by a sovereign act of God. The country was given to the Jewish people exclusively and eternally (Exodus 15:13). Israel does not just occupy the land – they own it! Zechariah 2:8 declares that He will go out against nations who oppress Israel, because anyone who does so sticks their finger in the eye of God.His love abounds for the holy city of Jerusalem. As the mountains surround the city, God encircles His people forever (Psalm 125:2). He has established intercessors to cry out day and night until He makes Jerusalem a respected and admired city of praise.Jerusalem is the shoreline of eternity, the capital city of the final Kingdom, where Jesus Christ will sit on the throne of David. Of that Kingdom there shall be no end, and you and I will reign with Him eternally.

Like A Thief In The Night 'For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.'- Luke 17:24LUKE 17:24-31 This scripture and the parallel scripture in Matthew 24:27 make it very clear that the second return of Jesus will be no secret to anyone. In Matthew's account, it is especially clear that this statement about the lightning was made so that we wouldn't be deceived by false Christs. Just as lightning is visible to everyone, so the second return of Jesus will be witnessed by the whole world. That's the reason we don't have to be fearful about missing His second coming and anxiously follow every report that Christ has come.These verses completely destroy the claims of the Bahai religion and others who claim that Jesus has secretly come back the second time.Just as Jesus had warned His disciples not to be deceived by false Christs because His second coming would be visible to everyone, He also explains that until the very day of His coming, the world will continue on its present course. People will not discern the signs of His coming just as the people during Noah's day didn't realize their impending judgment. This corresponds exactly with Jesus' prophecies about His coming being like the appearance of a thief in the night. Jesus is emphasizing that the unbelievers will not recognize that He is coming until it is too late. He is stressing that His coming will take the world by surprise.The Lord is pointing out the urgent need to be ready for His return. In the same way that a thief comes when people are the least prepared, so our Lord will return in a time when people are not looking for Him. There will be a condition of apathy in the latter days that will tend to lull even the faithful to sleep if they don't take heed to His words. He urges us to be watchful so we will be prepared.